Strong Gasoline Smell When Starting the Car
2 Answers
When starting a cold engine, the vehicle's computer will appropriately increase the fuel injection volume based on intake temperature and coolant temperature signals. At this time, the engine has not yet reached its normal operating temperature, resulting in poor combustion efficiency. This causes some fuel to be discharged without being fully burned, leading to a strong gasoline smell during cold starts. If there is still a heavy gasoline smell after starting, the following faults may have occurred: 1. Insufficient air intake at the throttle valve: This causes incorrect air flow information, affecting fuel injection volume and increasing fuel consumption, which makes the gasoline smell more pronounced. 2. Excessive carbon buildup in the cylinder combustion chamber and pistons: This leads to insufficient cylinder pressure, causing an overly rich air-fuel mixture and increased fuel consumption. 3. Excessive carbon deposits inside the engine: This results in poor atomization of the air-fuel mixture. 4. Gasoline pipe leakage: Oil sludge forms at the pipe joints, and the smell enters the car through the air conditioning system.
I've been driving for over a decade and have encountered the issue of strong gasoline smell during ignition several times, which I think is quite common. Possible causes include fuel leakage, such as loose fuel pipe connections or poor injector sealing, where leaked gasoline becomes noticeable; secondly, a clogged or faulty activated charcoal canister in the evaporative emission system, which is supposed to absorb gasoline vapors, releases odors when it fails; and incomplete combustion during cold starts. Once, after smelling a strong odor, I immediately checked under the hood and found oil stains, which I repaired in time to prevent a major disaster. I recommend first observing whether the smell occurs only during ignition and identifying the source; don't overlook safety—gasoline is flammable, so it's important to quickly have a professional shop check the engine-related parts. After all, preventing a car fire is more important than anything else.
